Thane, Apr 19 (PTI) The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Maharashtra’s Thane district has awarded compensations of Rs 7.4 lakh and Rs 6.5 lakh to a man injured in a motorcycle accident and to the kin of a person killed in the incident.

MACT member S N Shah held the owner of a tempo liable for compensation and absolved the insurance company due to the policy’s invalidity at the time of the accident A copy of the order dated April 8 was made available on Saturday.

The accident occurred on January 19, 2017, on the Nagar-Murbad road when the victims, Vishal Vasant Baraskar and Dipesh Arjun Pawshe, were travelling on a motorcycle. A tempo hit the two-wheeler, killing Pawshe and critically injuring Baraskar sustained serious injuries.

Baraskar and Pawshe’s parents filed separate claim petitions.

In both cases, the petitioners alleged that the rash and negligent driving of the tempo driver had caused the accident. A criminal case was also registered against the tempo driver. The tempo owner, Varsha Ajit Gorade, remained ex-parte in both proceedings.

Advocate AK Tiwari, appearing for the vehicle insurer Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd., argued that the insurance policy for the vehicle was not in effect on the date of the accident.

The tribunal examined the evidence presented by the insurance company, including the testimony of their witness and the insurance policy documents.

It noted that the premium for the policy was received by the insurance company at 3.36 pm on January 19, 2017, several hours after the accident which occurred between 8.15 am and 9 am on the same day.

Considering the injuries sustained by Baraskar, which included multiple brain contusions, facial fractures, rib fractures, and lung contusions, the tribunal awarded him a total compensation of Rs 7.4 lakh.

In Pawshe’s case, the tribunal awarded his parents Rs 6.5 lakh, including Rs 5.4 lakh for loss of future dependency and Rs 15,000 each for loss of estate and funeral expenses, along with Rs 80,000 for the filial consortium.

The tribunal directed the tempo owner to deposit the compensation amounts with an 8 per cent annual interest from the date of filing the petitions within a month. The insurance company, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd., was absolved of any liability in both cases. PTI COR ARU